By Iron and Blood

I'm running a military campaign set in an alternate universe, with a heavy dose of urban fantasy. Character, intrigue, and plot are important, but there many opportunities to get shot, have your arm bitten off, or be instantly obliterated by powerful arcane forces.

The game will start with your arrival at your new station and continue from there. Characters must be soldiers in the Iron Legion, aka Legionnaires. Picture growing up in Germany during the early 1930's for your characters' past, except with more fascist totalitarianism, monastic orders of magical knights, secret occult societies, and clockwork overseers.

The story isn’t always a happy one. The theme is dark, so be sure to bring a flashlight.

1914

June 26th--Francis Ferdinand, along with several dozen other notable politicians and leaders go missing in Austria and Germany. A pro-slavist organization known as the Black Hand claims responsibility.

June 28th--The Austrian Empire begins a nationwide purge in a vain attempt to destroy the organization.

June 30th--The Black Hand retaliates. The organization makes use of a shocking number of highly skilled talents. A group of Black Hand spellweavers summons an extra-planar entity within the boundaries of Vienna, an event which will be remembered as the Night of Teeth.

July 2nd--Otto von Bismarck convenes with Austrian dignitaries to discuss solutions to this unconventional threat to the Central Powers.

July 3rd—The Knights Scitex, a specialized subset of the German Knights Templar formed to combat the extraordinary and the strange, is given authority over Austria’s conventional forces. As the Black Hand begins an intense campaign of terror within central Europe, the Scitex mobilize to match the malignant organization’s arcane power work for work.

July 18th--A battle party of Scitex knights accompanied by several regiments of conventional infantrymen find and destroy a Black Hand stronghold in Serbia, ending the First Crusade. Several talented members of Serbian nobility who are encountered within the stronghold are killed in the action. The Black Hand’s activities grind to a halt.

July 20th--Enraged at the military activities with its boarders, Serbia declares war on Austria.

July 21st--Germany declares war on Serbia to uphold its alliance with Austria.

July 25th--Russia begins mobilizing troops to come to Serbia's aid.

August 1st--Germany declares war on Russia.

August 3rd-- Germany begins implementation of the Schlieffen Plan. Failure means being overwhelmed and forced into defeat. The nation declares war on France and invades Belgium.

August 26th—The Russian army is defeated at Tannenburg and Masurian Lakes.

September 6th—The Battle of the Marne starts.

September 9th--Advancing German forces are flanked and almost routed. In a last ditch effort to turn the tide, a Scitex knight named Dremados Forsythe, along with his attachment of knights, hastily instruct German field talents an advanced working known as 'bridging,’ which connects two mirrors together to form a near instantaneous passage. The danger and unpredictability in using this working is ignored. By the end of the day, more than half of the German army's talents have died due to advanced arcane poisoning. They succeed in opening several 'bridges', however, allowing a significant number of German troops to get behind the advancing French forces.

September 12th--The bulk of the French Army is surrounded and destroyed. German troops march unimpeded toward Paris.

September 15th--France surrenders to the Central Powers, ceding valuable ports to Germany and allowing the Central Powers to annex Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

January 10th--The Black Hand begins striking in Russia's favor on the Eastern Front. The victorious Scitex rearrange their operations to focus on their original objective of destroying the secret society.

April 1st--Otto von Bismarck dies on his 100th birthday. Because of the paranormal nature of enemy forces in Russia, the leader of the Knights Scitex is allowed control of German military command.

April 25th--The Black Hand becomes increasingly desperate as their Scitex counterpart achieves victory after victory. They step back from field operations to work on an alternate plan.

May 6th--The Black Hand assassinates the head of the Knights Scitex. The next in line, Dremados Forsythe, takes the reign of the Central Powers’ military might.

May 7th--The “Lusitania” is sunk by a German U-boat. American opinion is turned against aiding Britannia.

August 2th--The Germans capture Warsaw from Russia.

August 17th--Willhem II disappears, along with a large portion of Berlin. The Black Hand is suspected. Forsythe is quick to set up a temporary system of government to maintain public stability.

September 20th--Templar and Scitex Knights on dragon back cross the English channel and light London ablaze. Zeppelin raids continue.

1916

February 12th--Coordinated operatives assassinate a dozen key Russian talents that enable the Czar's army to keep the Germans at bay. Russian forces are over run.

April 10th--British forces surrender to Turkish forces at Kut in Mesopotamia.

May 31st--Britannia finally agrees to German demands in order to end hostilities. Germany comes into possession of the bulk of British colonial holdings.

June 2nd--The Black Hand, fearing the capture of Moscow, summon another extra-planar entity, more powerful than the one in Vienna.

June 10th--Bloodied and battered, the German army beats a retreat to regroup.

July 1st--The Black Hand find their daemon to be harder to control and more powerful than they intended. It begins summoning more of its kind.

July 2nd--The Black Hand attempts to banish the daemon. The ensuing fight ends with the corruption of the remainders of the Black Hand, who become little more than puppets to the dark entity.

August 5th--First use en masse of tanks on the outskirts of Moscow by German forces. The tanks prove effective in dealing with the archaic forms of combat favored by the daemons. The Knights Scitex manage to destroy most of the creatures as they flee.

August 6th--Moscow is captured. Russia surrenders and agrees to cede a great deal of its western land to Germany. The Great War comes to an end.

September 10th--The daemons that escaped from the battle at Moscow cause too many disturbances to count. The German army fights the arcane threat, though does so ineffectively.

September 29th--The Knights Scitex form their own military force, the Iron Legion. The Iron Legion borrows heavily from existing German forces, but are specially equipped and trained to handle daemon slaying and the arcane, among other things, alongside the Scitex.

1919--American loans to defeated France and Britain default. Compounded with several other internal problems, the United States spirals into an economic depression. Germany’s economy, meanwhile, begins growing at wild rates as colonial profits and recent war industries turn to civilian matters.

1921--Scitex Forsythe, celebrated hero of the Great War, is elected Chancellor of newly reorganized Germany. The Scitex party becomes the most popular political party ever seen in Europe. Under Forsythe's brave new plan of widespread industrialization, Germany is rushed into the future. Parliament grants great executive powers to their Knightly leader, even as the size of the Iron Legion exceeds the size of the actual German military.

1922--Russia explodes in revolution as a great famine sweeps over the slavic nation. The poor leadership given by the Czar, coupled with the rampant daemonic incursions within Russian borders catalyzes the common man to rise up and shuck off the noose of his capitalist oppressors.

1923--Germany's Iron Legion is beseeched to come into Russia to purge the land of the daemonic taint. Germany obliges them.

1924--The Second Crusade, short, but bloody, ends in triumph. Russia agrees to let the Legion keep bases within its borders to prevent daemon infestations from being a problem in the future.

1925--A similar situation arises in Italy. The Iron Legion enters the nation despite the lack of invitation. Daemons and Italian troops are purged side by side.

1926--Germany finishes annexing Italy. Riots and freedom movements spring up across the country. The Iron Legion purges them as well.

1928--A resurgent of daemonic and Black Hand activity endangers Germany. The Iron Legion, by now functioning as the bulk of Germany's military, tracks their activity base to Africa. The Knights Scitex and the Iron Legion purge most of North Africa and reaffirm Germany's holdings there. Johan Krump is discovered to have been leading the group of terrorists. In reaction to this happening, opposing political parties to the Scitex are outlawed. The public applauds the bold decision.

1930--The left wing Liberty Party comes to power in the US, promising relief from the Depression.

1931--France and Egypt join the Iron Pact.

1932--After a decade of peaceful coexistence, Germany, Austria, and Russia enter into an involved alliance and trade relationship. This new alliance is called the Iron Pact. Several smaller European nations scurry to participate in its formation.

1933--The United States annexes Canada. Britainnia severs diplomatic ties with the US.

1934--The US allies itself with Japan and the Ottoman Empire, and then moves to seize its holdings in South America.

1935--Japan and the US go on a land grab in the Pacific, dancing around dangerously near German and British colonies. Britain allies itself with Germany, and thereby the Iron Pact, but does not officially become a part of it. The Ottoman Empire invades several Middle Eastern nations. Scitex Forsythe meets with European leaders to discuss proper responses to this threat.

1936--Japan invades China. Russia provides indirect assistance, not willing to get tangled into a war with the US. Spain joins the Iron Pact. Forsythe and other Iron Pact leaders threaten war if either of the Allies steps into Australia. The US, economy recovering from the rampant expansion, and Japan, its dreams of an empire being fulfilled, slow down their operations.

1937--Japan and the US invade and take control of Australia. Mexico, knowing that the United Juggernaut will eventually turn its eyes to its Southern neighbor, launches a surprise attack on the States. The Iron Pact declares war on the United Trio. Japan and the US invade German and British holdings in the East Indies.

1938--Scitex Knights and the Iron Legion march into the Ottoman Empire, tearing apart any resistance. The Iron Pact divides the land amongst itself for 'safe keeping'. The capture of the Suez Canal allows the Iron Pact to move its considerable naval forces into the Pacific Ocean to defend its colonies.

1939--The Iron Legion arrives en force in Mexico. The flood of soldiers helps Mexico to counter the US counter attack and initiate a coutner-coutner operation.

1940--Battle of the Coral Sea: a great portion of the Japanese fleet is sunk off the coast of Australia by the Iron Pact's navy. Japan fights on, though is severely hampered. The US' navy is able to pick up the slack.

1941--The Iron Pact underestimated the industrial capacity of the US and their resolve to fight. The US pushes back into Mexico and captures Mexico City, leaving devastation in its wake. Evidence of humanitarian atrocities begins to arise from Japanese and American holdings.

1942--The Iron Legion is pushed south out of Mexico, but on the way captures and holds the Panama Canal at high cost. The Black Hand are found defending the vital water way side by side with daemons. The US is unable to move the ships made in the Atlantic to the Pacific effectively.

1943--The Iron Pact fleet dominates the Pacific. In a clever island hopping strategy, the Iron Legion recaptures dozens of islands. Among these islands are some of the southernmost Japanese lands and Hawaii. Preparations are made to invade the US homeland by different means, while zeppelins, long range bombers, and dragon mounted Scitex Knights begin an aerial campaign against Japan.

1944—On December 23, the members of the Iron Pact launch the greatest military operation in history. The Legion undertakes a full scale amphibious invasion on the west coast of the United States, while Russian attachments of the Iron Legion move into Alaska with the might of the Red Army at their back. Legionnaires, aided by local resistance groups, seize the Panama Canal and press northward into Central America, while the largest naval battle ever seen takes place off the east coast of New York.

1945--The operation is a success. Legion troops march on US soil once more, taking hold of one city after another, despite heavy resistance from both civilian military forces. Japan continues to fight on despite the massive civilian casualties and the devastation of its homeland. The US similarly refuses to surrender. The US threatens 'prompt and utter destruction' if attacking forces do not withdraw. Scitex Knights on the front lines have been encountering more and more daemon and Black Hand forces intermingled with the US troops, but they are not deemed an insurmountable threat. America’s broadcast is deemed a desperation measure. Three days later, an atomic bomb is dropped on Berlin.

Forsythe sends message to both Japan and the US that if they do not offer unconditional surrender, they will face 'prompt and utter destruction' in return. Both nations refuse. One day later, an atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima. Both sides continue to fight. The next day, an atomic bomb is dropped on New York. Forsythe extols both Japan and the US over a global broadcast to submit or face total devastation at the hand of the Legion. Later that day, the Emperor radios back with Japan's surrender, even while the US continues to fight on with the Legion being but a few miles away from Washington DC. In a surprise turn of events, the President is impeached and an unconditional surrender is offered. The bomber carrying a third atomic device toward DC is called off mid flight.

1946--Scitex Knights discover that several key leaders of the Liberty Party were members of the Black Hand, including the President. The US government is judged to be tainted by extra-planar interests and is summarily disbanded and replaced with Iron Pact military rule. Protestors are purged.

1948--The Third Crusade begins in Japan as daemonic activity comes to a head. Scitex and Legion forces find their enemies to be stranger and more resilient than anything they’ve faced before. Great swathes of land are burned to stem the tide, while civilian casualties begin to mount.

1962--The United States is allowed to some autonomy in its government, though the Iron pact maintains a crushing military and political presence.

1963--Scitex talents discover Daemon activity on the moon through scrying. Plans are drawn up to purge Luna.

1966--Canada and Britain join the Iron Pact.

1967--Elite Scitex Knights and Iron Legion squads become the first humans to be in space and set foot on the moon. The Fourth Crusade is short, costly, violent, and in the end, successful. The extra-terrestrial men return to Earth as heroes.

1974--People become fed up with strict Scitex regulations. Civil unrest flares up in several Iron Pact countries. Protests and rallies become commonplace all over the globe.

1977--German and British colonies are granted independence. Riots subside.

1980--India joins the Iron Pact.

1985--China begins invading neighboring providence. It ensures the Iron Pact that its goals do not interfere with the Pact's.

1988--Mild protests turn into fiery riots. Local police forces often join in with the anarchy. People demand open elections, as the danger of the Black Hand has faltered. The movement demands change from the Scitex party.

1990--Daemonic activity is detected all over the globe, often coinciding with the rioting regions. The Knights Scitex are quick to begin a Fifth Crusade. Daemons, members of the Black Hand, and protesters are purged all together, no room available for mercy or hesitation. Cities are left in flames, children without parents, adults without homes. The cost of the Crusade is high, but justified.

1995--Daemonic activity threatens the Middle East. The Knights Scitex mobilize the Iron Legion for the Sixth Crusade. The Daemons prove more elusive than initially supposed. The military action drags on with little results other than domestic upheaval.

1996--Relations between China and the European Iron Pact deteriorate, as the Knights Scitex demand passage to pursue the Black Hand into the middle kingdom.

2000--Brazil, various nations in South America, and many nations in the Pacific form an alliance with China. The Knights Scitex plead with them to open their boarders to allow them to fight the Black Hand groups that take residence there, but the nations refuse to allow the Legion or the Scitex admittance. Nuclear retaliation is threatened should the Iron Legion attempt a purge.

2004--Covert Scitex and Legion activity within the hostile nations is found out. The Brazil-China alliance severs diplomatic ties with the Iron Pact.

2009—Six young men enlist in the Iron Legion, whether because they wanted to serve, protect their nations from the Black Hand and its associates, earn the respect of family, or not go to jail, seeing as service in the Iron Legion is compulsory within Germany. Trained at the Lehrzentrum in East Germany, the biggest Legion complex in Europe, the recruits distinguished themselves and caught the eye of a Scitex Knight, Verruckt Anderung. The knight has them transferred to his command, where they serve with singular honor. Some distinguish themselves with heroism, others uncoversecrets that might have been better left uncovered, and some perish under the blight that scrabbles unceasingly to cover the world.

Let’s be honest. Most of them died.

And that’s where you come into the picture.

-2010-
October 4th: You are a Legionnaire, part of a contingent of soldiers being transferred or sent in to reinforce the Iron Legion occupational force in Lanifell, California. Your transport airship will be docking at the Yukia Island zeppelin mast in short order, and as far as rumors go, America is not a nice place to be stationed. Beside the Black Hand presence, there are revolutionary movements, rogue daemons, competing factions of organized crime, corrupt public officials, and spiteful civilians. All of this is in addition to the omni-present over watch of the all seeing eye of the Scitex Order. Whether you’re here because you screwed up, want to serve your country, like a challenge, or hate America, this will undoubtedly be one of the greatest challenges in your life.

I'm going to use a 2d12 system based on the SPECIAL rules used in Fallout. Stats will affect your character's abilities, and you will roll with specific skills to accomplish tasks.

Perception is how alert your character is. It determines whether or not you notice important details, like landmines, whether or not someone is lying to you, or if you can spot weaknesses in your enemy.

Charisma reflects how NPCs in the game world react to you and your actions. A high charisma will win you many friends, allies, and opportunities. If you have a low charisma, you may wind up thinking that all NPCs are jerks, since everyone will treat you like crap.

Intelligence influences the number of skill points you start with, as well as how many you get at level up. It also determines how often your character receives insights in game, and whether or not said insights are actually useful.

Agility is how nimble your character is. Agility determines how fast you move, how easy you are to attack, and your ability to balance, climb, perform sweet parkour, ect.

Luck determines how much fate is on your side. If you have a low luck, things will more often than not turn rotten, and it will appear as if the GM hates you. Do not be surprised when the sniper aims at you instead of the guy to your right. A high luck, on the other hand, will be like playing the game on easy mode. Help will arrive on time, problems will seemingly take care of themselves, fame, fortune, and women (if applicable) will fall into your lap.

You have 40 points to distribute between the seven attributes. 5's are considered 'average'. But your characters won't be average now, will they. You should know that if you ever have to do a direct stat check, you roll 1d10 + the stat.

Melee reflects your character's skill with the blade, truncheon, shield, mace, and other close combat weapons. You should know that since melee weapons have less parts than guns, they are easier to imbue with magic. Since daemons settle on the bullet proof side of the endurance scale, these imbued pieces of weaponry are some of the only effective options to oppose them with.
-Your starting skill in Melee is equal to ((Strength+Agility)/2 - 5) [Round up if average is above 5, round down if below 5.]

Unarmed is your character's fierceness when without a weapon. This is useful when you get into a combat situation when you aren’t prepared, or when you want to fight without killing your opponent. Also, it’s cool.
-Your starting skill in Unarmed is equal to ((Strength+Agility)/2 - 5) [Round up if average is above 5, round down if below 5.]

Missile is your character's effectiveness in using their throwing arm, bows, or crossbows. Grenades don’t deliver themselves to the target either. Bows and crossbows share many similarities with melee weapons in that when imbued, they are effective against daemons.
-Your starting skill in Throwing is equal to ((Strength+Agility)/2 - 5) [Round up if average is above 5, round down if below 5.]

Knowledge is what your character knows, and how well they are able to apply it. You use knowledge to gain critical insights in a variety of situations.
-Your starting skill in Knowledge is equal to (Intelligence - 5)

Intuition represents your character's ability to get information from without. Whenever you want to search, researching, investigate, or sense danger, this is the skill you will fall back on. Take note that this doesn't replace perception checks for noticing important details. Intuition is your character’s ability to seek through masses of facts and pull out the important ones.
-Your starting skill in Knowledge is equal to (Perception - 5)

Larceny represents your character's shifty side. Picking locks, picking pockets, performing tricks via sleight of hand, forging your commanding officer’s signature, or being streetwise in the flow and order of the city is all covered by larceny.
-Your starting skill in Larceny is equal to ((Luck+Agility/2) - 5) ) [Round up if average is above 5, round down if below 5.]

Stealth is how easily your character can make himself unseen. Sneaking around, hiding, and camouflaging all pay off when you don’t want the daemon to find you.
-Your starting skill in Stealth is equal to (Agility - 5)

Science is your character's knowledge of alchemy, biology, chemistry, geology, astronomy, and all other manner of –mys. When you want to synthesize combat stimulants, brew potions, examine corpses, or comprehend just what it is you’re looking at (which isn’t always a good idea), your knowledge of science will save the day.
-Your starting skill in Science is equal to (Intelligence - 5)

Engineering is your character's knowledge of electronics and mechanics. This influences your ability to fix things, craft new pieces of equipment, figure out existing equipment, sabotage enemy equipment, pilot vehicles, and work with explosives.
-Your starting skill in Engineering is equal to (Intelligence - 5)

Medicine is your character's ability to restore the wounded to health and stabilize critical injuries.
-Your starting skill in Medicine is equal to (Perception - 5)

Presence reflects your character's ability to project some kind of social front. Whether you’re intimidating, charming, unassuming, or brazenly arrogant, your interactions with NPCs will be made loads less stressful if you can seem to be the right kind of person.
-Your starting skill in Presence is equal to (Charisma - 5)

Empathy is used to sense the motive of others, get a read on the meaning or context behind their statements, or discern when they’re lying to you. Since the characters in By Iron and Blood are often cryptic, crazy, or manipulative, you’ll need all the help you can get.
-Your starting skill in Empathy is equal to (Charisma - 5)

You may tag two skills. These skills receive a +2 bonus, a specialization, and will be easier to level up at higher levels.

The specializations work like this: Let's say you tag the Firearms skill. When you tag a skill, you need to pick a specialization. For example,

You may, once per post, re-roll a tagged skill so long as you were using the skill within its specialization. Looking at the above example, you would be able to re-roll one shooting roll per turn if you were using an assault rifle and had the Assault Rifle tag specialization. If you use two tagged skills in the same post within their specialization, you may only reroll one of them.

Here are some starting ideas for tag specializations. Keep in mind that you don’t have to use these, though you may if you feel they reflect what your character can do. They’re here to help you think of your own specializations.

Although this won't come into play until later, skills level up like this:
0 to 7: 1 skill point per increase.
8 to 10: 2 skill points per increase.
11 to 13: 3 skill points per increase.
14 to 17: 4 skill points per increase.

I'm aiming for 4 or 5 people. You’ll be joining in with a few long time players for added goodness.

Current Applications

Name: Anto Sladow
Age: 20
Country of Origin: Croatia

Born to a wealthy and loving family in the spring of 1990, Anto enjoyed a peaceful and happy existence for the first six years of his life. His family owned a large portion of land in the densely wooded mountains of Croatia where he and his four brothers and two sisters had free run to do what they would.

Shortly after his seventh birthday things changed for Anto. His family had heard rumors of a daemon rampaging through the woods, but refused to believe such a thing could happen without the Knights or the Legion being aware and taking action. This poor decision led to the the inevitable daemon attack on Anto’s home. The attack was brutal and only through sheer luck did Anto survive, hiding in the nooks and crannys only someone who had lived on the property for years could know, until the Legion arrived to put down the beast.

Anto, having no where to go, was brought to an orphanage to live until he reached adulthood. While the life of an orphan is not a great one Anto did have the advantage of having his families fortune to fund his life once he was old enough to legally receive it from the state. Over the years two thoughts dominated Anto’s mind. First, his pure hatred for all things daemon or daemon supporting, and second, the power of explosives he witnessed when the Legion took down the beast that tore his family away from him.

From the age of seven to the age of sixteen Anto’s nose was always buried in a book. Either dealing with chemistry and explosives or with languages foreign to him. He quickly found out he had a knack for both. When his sixteenth birthday came up Anto had already learned to speak seven languages fluently and was well on his way to being a professional bomb builder. Though, only one of those two factors led to the court agreeing that he was indeed mature enough to be given his family's fortune and let go from the care of the state.

Anto spent the majority of the next two years investing his money into learning more about explosives and how they can be used to destroy structures. At the age of eighteen, knowing nine languages, more than twenty ways to bring down a building and hundreds of different explosive compounds, that range from high end military explosives to something made from things at the local hardware store, Anto joined the Iron Legion. His only request? To be sent somewhere that he’d have the chance to frequently blow daemons back to hell.

Anto stands at five foot eight inches tall with a frame that is neither over nor under whelming. Despite his frequent handling of volatile material, Anto has, luckily, managed to do little in the way of lasting injury to himself. He has lost his left hand’s little finger and he is incapable of growing his right eye brow back.

He prefers to let his hair grow out but whenever he finds himself entering a new chapter in his life he can’t help the urge to shave it all off. So for the time being he has only the post shave fuzz atop his head.

His blue eyes tends to wander off most of the time, making him seem detached from reality. But when it comes to matters of explosives or daemons his wandering eyes and peaceful face give way to that of a very focused and serious man.

Typically too lost in his own thoughts to do very well in most social settings, Anto comes off as aloof to those who know him for only a very short period of time. But anyone who sees him at work knows that when push comes to shove you can depend on him to do his job.

Overall his political, religious and social views are that he doesn’t care one way or another about such things as long as he has a chance to destroy daemons. He is a man of obsessions. Obsessed with languages, obsessed with explosives and obsessed with revenge.

Biography: Born to a poor family in the inner-city of London, Evans' adolescence through young-adulthood was mostly spent on acts of petty theft and acting as a fence in order to fuel his single mother's drug addictions. As he grew older, he got involved with organized crime, and eventually completely neglected his mother's demands for funds.

Evans never knew his father... if he did however, he would realize that in his bloodline is a long, proud tradition of English military service. Evans' ancestry have always filled the ranks of the crafty, wirey, cunning types that every army always needs to do the dirty work when the sun goes down and the international committes for fair warfare aren't watching.

Bloodlines and early childhood aside, Evans' life of crime went much the same as many others do: For a time, he was very satisfied with his source of income. It supported him and he had enough surplus to have some fun. Unfortunately, one day his number came up.

It was a normal operation; they'd enter the building, hand over the supply at the same the clients handed over the cash, they'd go their separate ways, and the plethroa of guns that watched over the transaction would never be fired. Sadly, the drug enforcement agencies collaborating on busting a big cartel had other plans.

Evans was arrested that day, one of three surviving members of the cartel that took part in the deal. The cops took him into custody and delivered him to the hospital, where they took out the bullet in his gut. Evans had been one of the first ones shot; the memory of bleeding out on the warehouse floor while the rest of his partners were shot to pieces causes him reoccuring nightmares.

Upon recovery, he was given a choice: by chance, his record found its way into the hands of an Iron Legion officer. He could immediately join the Legion in inentured servitude and repay his debt to society, or serve a prison term. Evans never was one for confinement, and had always toyed with the idea of enlisting anyway. The choice was obvious.

Physical Description: Slim, short, and wirey. Evans has a thin frame suited for going lightning fast. Malnutrition and poor conditions growing up means that his body doesn't really have the capabilities for overall strength or endurance that it naturally would though.

His face is round with a narrow nose, and usually has 10% of a smirk or sardonic half-smile creeping on his expression. Bright green eyes almost always have a sense of alertness.

Personality Description: Evans is usually quite laid back. A lifetime of hardship and struggles has taught him to appreciate the small things. It takes something significant to ruffle his feathers, and he's quick to forgive. "We're all sinners, after all," is often what he'll say in response to an apology.

The only surefire way to fast-track him to a temper is exposure to spiders. Evans HATES spiders.

Biography: A tank pilot, gunner and mechanic with 16 years of service for the Iron Legion, Gerald has just recently left the brig which he had been held in for assualting a fellow soldier. Fortuantely his sentance was light, and the Legion was lenient. American needed more troops. With a history of disciplinary actions and court marshals the weathered veteran has no more rank than the freshest recruit. It may be some time yet until the Legion gives him his license back since his most recent foul up.

Despite his horrible interpersonal skills, one Talik Eichenger, a soldiering buddy from the days of old, still remebers the brash young soldier who saved his life. It is no doubt Talik's efforts alone, combined with his position, that have kept Gerald in the Legion's good graces.

Physical Description: A large and imposing man, Gerald is often found with his uniform grimy and in disarray from servicing vehicles or in repair projects completed in his spare time. Years of hunching over to work on projects have done little for the soldier's posture, and many a superior has taken Gerald to task for failing to maintain the appearance of the Iron Legion. When he isn't fixing something, Gerald is oft in the process of breaking something. Though not officially liscenced for aircraft, the cunning tinkerer has crashed and destroyed four of his own designs thus far, and most of his former supply seargent still wont relinquish any gear without full written comfirmation.

Gerald keeps a pair of glasses, and prescription goggles handy for use in the field, and for enjoying the view on his occasional brief flights. Though his eyesight isn't bad enough to require them for mundane needs (so he says,) Iron Legion protocol requires him to wear them while driving. His tank lisence has been revoked three times for failing to comply with this regulation alone.

Personality Description: Gerald learned years ago that he would never get anywhere within the Legion's hierarchy. This realization has given him a sense of freedom most soldiers envy. And some of come to hate him for his almost careless attitude. Gerald spends his off time bending the rules and doing as he pleases, often finding his leave cut short and as a frequent visitor to the brig. But as he plays hard, so does Gerald fight hard, and many are the medals and commendations he has been written up for.

Who boy, testimonials time. By Iron and Blood is an awesome story, it has been active for for over a year at this point. We have seen a complex story develop and characters enriched, but there also seems to be a never ending supply of direction for the story to develop. New player and old are always experiencing something new.

The story is harsh, do not expect things to be easy. People have died, quite often came very close to death. Entire towns and military bases have been blinked from existence. The scope of conflict is vast and can feel overwhelming, but with a bit of camaraderie you can hold on to the hope to see a new dawn.

The mechanics are simple to follow and GM and veteran players will be available to help new members make it into the game. The activity is high, so expect your interaction with the story to be returned. And I won't deny that even during high activity it can still feel like it isn't enough, because the story is that engrossing.

I look forward to the new players and I hope you will look forward to this unique and engaging story.

I play Lucian Weiß master alchemist and field medic. I was the first veteran player to die, but I cured that little hiccup. I'm an extremely inquisitive person who can often be found sketching in field journals, or shaking every speck of dust from my uniform after tussling with a daemon. In combat I am slightly reckless favoring a magically imbued rapier or a single shot breech load pistol with alchemical ammunition. When the real trouble starts expect me to undertake often drastic changes after quaffing a personally crafted elixir, results vary. You will always see me patching folks up after a battle, more often than not I'm what makes sure you make it to your next injury. I'm a proud patron of my own talents as well, having been burned, cut, shot, crushed, shredded, broken and obliterated, you know I have to keep my skills keen. I have a strong sense of moral correctness, however this does not always mesh with what we are told is right (law) verse what must be done to ensure justice. Duty for me is held in a higher office than most other soldiers.

I've played with Notion GMing for years across four different forums in several different campaigns. I'm not sure why(I'm not sure by which criteria to judge the art of GMing post-by-post RPGs. Dedication, creativity, flexibility? Notion is in abundance of all three, most certainly. On that note, Notion's abilities and dedication is probably the best example of GMing as an art that I've experienced.), but it's been worth it and I've certainly enjoyed it.

I play Squire Thomas Sangers, the grandson of By Iron And Blood's Neil Armstrong. His grandfather's shadow lingers over him and he's quite torn between doing good, following the status quo, and doing what needs to be done(All three not necessarily overlapping!). He's an eternal optimist and (Occasionally obnoxiously) chivalrous and patriotic. And, for the good part: Abilities, specialties, and duty in the team: In combat, he's a sneaky sharpshooter and back-up medic, but outside of combat, he continues to be a cunning and resourceful engineer and man of science.

Outside of the fact that I feel like the S.P.E.C.I.A.L system was one of the best thought up stat systems of all time, I've never seen such high praise of a DM of a pbp game. Color me super interested. Tomorrow being football day and me being exhausted right now I expect to have an app up in the next 48 hours. I hope that isn't too long.

Biography: A tank pilot, gunner and mechanic with 16 years of service for the Iron Legion, Gerald has just recently left the brig which he had been held in for assualting a fellow soldier. Fortuantely his sentance was light, and the Legion was lenient. American needed more troops. With a history of disciplinary actions and court marshals the weathered veteran has no more rank than the freshest recruit. It may be some time yet until the Legion gives him his license back since his most recent foul up.

Despite his horrible interpersonal skills, one Talik Eichenger, a soldiering buddy from the days of old, still remebers the brash young soldier who saved his life. It is no doubt Talik's efforts alone, combined with his position, that have kept Gerald in the Legion's good graces.

Physical Description: A large and imposing man, Gerald is often found with his uniform grimy and in disarray from servicing vehicles or in repair projects completed in his spare time. Years of hunching over to work on projects have done little for the soldier's posture, and many a superior has taken Gerald to task for failing to maintain the appearance of the Iron Legion. When he isn't fixing something, Gerald is oft in the process of breaking something. Though not officially liscenced for aircraft, the cunning tinkerer has crashed and destroyed four of his own designs thus far, and most of his former supply seargent still wont relinquish any gear without full written comfirmation.

Gerald keeps a pair of glasses, and prescription goggles handy for use in the field, and for enjoying the view on his occasional brief flights. Though his eyesight isn't bad enough to require them for mundane needs (so he says,) Iron Legion protocol requires him to wear them while driving. His tank lisence has been revoked three times for failing to comply with this regulation alone.

Personality Description: Gerald learned years ago that he would never get anywhere within the Legion's hierarchy. This realization has given him a sense of freedom most soldiers envy. And some of come to hate him for his almost careless attitude. Gerald spends his off time bending the rules and doing as he pleases, often finding his leave cut short and as a frequent visitor to the brig. But as he plays hard, so does Gerald fight hard, and many are the medals and commendations he has been written up for.